PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1980, WHITBY FREE PRESS whifby r B Voice of the County Town Michael Ian Burgess, Publisher - Managing Editor .*Te only Whitby newspaper lndependently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. 1t Published every Wednesday by M.B.M. Publishing and Photography Inc. Phone 66-61 Il The Free Press Building, 131 Brock Street North, P.O. Box 206. Whitby. Ont. Michael J. Knell Community Editor Marlorte A. Burges* Production Manager Karen Thompson Advertising Manager Malling Permit No. 480 w I cM mberof the Whitby Chambr of Commerce Quality notcost of education should be the issue Dear Sir: I am sure that most of your readers would agree with your con- cerns about fiscal responsibility and ef- ficient operation of the Durham Public School Board. But, based on personal discussions with very many parents and taxpayers, I am convinced that the cost of education is not thé principal issue in the up-coming school board elections, and that taxpayers require of the education system only that which they demand anywhere else where expen- ditures are made -- value for money. While rising taxes are of concern to everyone, I have heard few specific concerns expressed about the education portion of the realty tax bill, and a great number of com- plaints and concerns abòut the regional and _Tuncipal portions. Most people recognize the education tax to be an Investment for the future, and provided that Investment is properly managed, then taxpayers are not overly concerned. In light of recent in- flationary trends, and particularly with the very significant portion of the school board's budget being spent on personnel salaries, I think that the Durham Region Board has shown remarkable fiscal restraint and operated in a most ef- ficient manner, keeping tax increases to a very minimum. One of the biggest problems facing the public school system throughout Ontario is, in my view, declining enrolment. While an individual school board may not have much control where there are shifts in population, Individual boards, and the public school system generally, can influence enrolment, and this in turn has a bearing on the ef- f iciency of any in- dividual board. With fewer children in the schools, the per capita cost of education must increase, and if the public school system were to remedy the problems of declining enrolment, where they have some influence, efficiency could be in- creased and tax in- creases kept to a minimum. Public school children are, in in- creasing numbers, being taken out of the public system into private schools, generally operated by chuiches, as the paren- ts feel that the quality and type of the public school education no longer meets the parents' expectations. There has been a dramatic increase in the nunmber of children attending private schools, and if this trend were reversed, greater efficiency and cost savings could be achieved in the public school system. But It will not be reversed un- til the public system gets back to the basics In education. In my view, schools should teach the traditional academic subjects, and basic moral teachings necessary to enable an individual to function in society. Schools were never intended to replace parents, and the growing number of parents protesting proposed family life programes and situation ethics classes suggests that the boards should withdraw from these areas of the curriculum, and con- centrate on the three R's. The many parents who have recently moved their children into prIvate schools con- tinue to pay education taxes. In addition, and without particular regard to the cost, the parents are paying for that private This suggests to me that the cost is really of little concern, and that the type and quaility of education is upper most in the minds y parents and taxpayers everywhere. The ca-' didates for office w: o address these concr ns, rather than strie .y financial matters as recommended in vour editorial, In my view deserve to be elected. Yours sincerely, Bob Mason Philips Road, EDITOR'S NOTE: It might be well to remind Whitby property tax- payers that they "in- vest" 55.1 cents out of every $1 in local taxes paid In the Durham Board of Education. Mr. Mason is correct in his assessment of the need for quality education, however, at 55.1 cents out of every $1, we are not getting a good return on our in- vestment. Cost of education must , be an issue because the taxation burden in this area shows no signs of decreasing. The question must become one of how much are we willing to pay for what we are getting. Students would rather walk than bus Dear Sir: I am an Anderson high school student who used to take a school bus to school but now because of Whitby's adequate (?) public transit, I along with many others am walking or 'bumming' a ride. This is because i don't want to leave for school almost an hour before school stats and get home over an hour after school lets out. The following are some of the reasons why the transit system isn't adequate: -with this system it would cost me $1.25 per week. -it wouldn't cost me $2.50 because. I walk home. I walk home because when I get out of school at 3:15 I have to walk to the corner and wait 33 minutes to get a bus to the "4" Corners (the opposit direction from home). At the "4" Corners I get off that bus and wait another 30 minutes for the bus which takes me to the end of my street. If I had stayed on the first bus it would even- tually take me to a point only half way home. This trip would take almost an hours. -l can't even use the bus for entertainment because if I go roller skating the sessiohs are from 7-10 p.m. and the bus system only runs until 7 p.m. -also most part time Jobs and after school activitles run beyond 7 p.m. -l have applied for a part time job which would start before the bus gets me there and i would not finish work until after 7 p.m. I would like to know how much the school board representatives use the system, especially when you get such a tour of the Dear Sir: i am wrIting to you to express my feelings onthe new Whitby - Transit Bus system. Taking this bus to school Is terrible. I am situated at the very east end of the route and when I board the bus it ls full. I usually have to sit in a seat already occupied by two people and even though I don't have to travel very far It is very uncomfortable. When school ls out and I want to get home 1 have to take a bus that travels the opposite Town to get destination. Yours truly lain Buchanan Broadview Ave. way in which i live and then it doubles back and drops me off. This takes a long time. Also it isn't fair that the people living in Brooklin still get the bus- to school while we must pay everyday. This new system has upset many people and speaking for more than myself we would ap- preciate our school buses back... It's just too incon- venient and expensivel Sincerely yours, Laurie Kurkton 113 Kendalwood Road, Whitby,Ontario to your Taking bus is terrible m